The commemoration at the airport began with an emotional song from Eddy Van Calster, whose wife Fabienne Vansteenkiste, an airport worker, died in the attacks.

German Lars Waetzmann was about to leave for New York with his wife Jennifer when the attacks happened. He was badly hurt but she died.

“The unthinkable happened,” he said at the commemoration. “What if we had left 10 minutes later? What if we had driven a bit slower? In a split second my world changed. But on that very moment I also started seeing the best in mankind.”

The suicide bombings were Belgium’s worst terror attacks. A year on, Belgium is still on a high state of alert, with soldiers patrolling the streets.

Media captionBrussels attacks: How the day unfolded

Brussels attacks: First anniversary of bombings marked

Brussels attacks: First anniversary of bombings marked added by on March 22, 2017View all posts by →